CHAPTER 4 — THE MAN SHE DIDN’T KNOW
I didn’t run.
That was her mistake.
Instead, I asked one question.
“Who were the others?”
Celeste tilted her head slightly, like she was considering whether I deserved an answer.
“You think you’re the first man I’ve married?” she said.
My blood ran cold.
“I think I’m the first one who didn’t disappear quietly.”
That earned a faint smile.
“No, Daniel,” she said. “You’re just the first one who brought a babysitter who pays attention.”
She stepped closer.
“You should have stayed predictable.”
That was the moment I realized something terrifying.
Celeste didn’t see herself as a villain.
She saw herself as a system.
A controlled environment.
A long-term study.
And Noah wasn’t an accident.
He was data collection.
I backed away slowly.
“I’m taking him,” I said.
Celeste sighed like I was disappointing her.
“You’re emotional,” she said. “That makes you unstable.”
May you like
Then she pressed something on her phone.
And upstairs, Noah screamed.
